THE MIND BEHIND A PATENT AWARD: MEET LAURA, THE BRILIANT MECHANICAL DESIGNER

Curious about how Laura used her creativity and problem-solving skills to develop the patent? Read the interview and find out how she is driving innovation in the automotive industry.

Congratulations on your recent granted patent award! Can you tell us a bit about the invention itself and the problem it solves?

“Mechanical Stress Isolation Conductors in Lead Frames”, this invention introduces a thermal material that is placed between the copper busbars in an inverter and the plastic overmold around the busbars to absorb the thermal expansion of the copper thereby eliminating any microcracking in the overmold material.

What sparked the initial idea for this invention? Did you face any challenges during the design process?

While designing an inverter for use in hybrid vehicles, it was observed that micro cracks were forming on the plastic overmold of the copper busbars of the inverter. When the current runs through the busbars they become heated, and the copper expands. This caused the microcracking on the plastic overmold material around the busbars creating a potential for problems.

What's your design process like? How do you approach a new challenge and translate it into a successful mechanical design?

When dealing with a potential problem like the microcracking in the plastic overmold, I find it best to use the standard Vitesco Technologies tools for problem solving like fishbone, 5Y, A3 and Pareto. They are tools that can help get to the root issue that requires redesign.

Innovation is very important in our company. How does our culture foster creativity and encourage employees to think outside the box?

I feel that Vitesco Technologies has an awesome Patent Law team that does a great job of teaching its employees how the patent process works and shows how easy it is to complete. They are also there to help every step of the way. My engineering management also fosters innovation and creativity by encouraging the team to work together through brainstorming sessions.

What advice would you give to aspiring mechanical designers who want to follow a similar path?

Remember to work as a collaborative team.  Designing and problem solving is not a solo task. You need to work with other engineers and other engineering disciplines, mechanical, electrical, test and manufacturing. You will also need to interface with suppliers, and the quality and purchasing teams.

Ask lots of questions and make lots of suggestions to reach a useful answer/design/patent.

Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of mechanical design, especially within the automotive industry?

The future of hybrid and electric vehicles is very exciting. This offers me the opportunity to explore ways to improve the future of the industry by using my creative and problem-solving skills.

ABOUT VITESCO AUTOMOTIVE WUHU

Vitesco Automotive Wuhu Co., Ltd. was founded in 1995 as a joint venture established by German Mannesmann VDO Group and Wuhu Instrument Factory in Wuhu, China.

In 1998, the investment partner of the joint venture company was changed to the construction company of Wuhu Economic and Technological Development Zone, WEDA.

In 2020, after different ownership changes, the location became Vitesco Automotive Wuhu Co., Ltd. Now Vitesco Automotive Wuhu has more than 1,400 employees locally.

If you liked this interview, don´t miss out on more of our employee stories.